Constant barbs in WhatsApp groups led to Mumbai doctor's suicide

Dr Payal Tadvi committed suicide on May 22 after being allegedly tortured by three of her seniors

While the trio of senior students from the Topiwala National Medical college, accused of bullying and harassing another post-graduate student Dr Payal Tadvi, are still absconding, new evidence of their bullying has emerged. In WhatsApp chats accessed by mid-day, the seniors are seen regularly sending humiliating messages to Dr Payal on a group they were all a part of. The group chats show how the trio vented their anger on Dr Payal and her friend Snehal. These have been submitted to the police in the ongoing investigation into Dr Payal's suicide.

Dr Payal's mother Abeda told mid-day the alleged tormenters used to insult her daughter on WhatsApp. "My daughter always behaved politely with her seniors. She had secured good marks in her practical exams and I'd seen how friendly she was with her patients. The accused doctors humiliated my daughter; she used to give me details of her ordeal."

Some of the chats exchanged by the student doctors on the WhatsApp group

Following Dr Payal's suicide on May 22, her parents filed an FIR against the three seniors - Dr Hema Ahuja, Dr Bhakti Mehare and Dr Ankita Khandelwal. They are still absconding. Dr Payal's parents said before handing over her phone to the police, they had taken several screenshots of the chats on the group, which clearly show how their daughter was harassed by the other doctors on various occasions.

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The messages are from a group called Reminders. The trio would constantly taunt Payal over something or the other. If she did not respond to their medical queries regarding patients, they would call her unprofessional. In one of the screenshots, Dr Bhakti wrote, "Payal, at least tell her from whom she should get the scan done. Why aren't you answering calls? Snehal has switched off her phone too. You think I'm asking you to get the scans and X-Rays done because I've brought the patients from my home?"

In another chat, Dr Hema said, "By the way, a patient from ward no. 5 who has fever had called, but madam Payal's phone is not reachable and Snehal has switched off her phone." In this chat, they claimed Dr Payal would ask her juniors to do the work and threatened to complain to one Rajeshwari ma'am about the same. The three of them also said Payal and Snehal used to make several mistakes in their work.

In one more chat, Dr Hema remarked, "As usual Payal, is being escapist. After reading all the chats, she will run away tomorrow, just the way she had earlier." All of these chats are part of the investigations now. Deepak Kundal, ACP, Agripada division said, "We are still investigating the case. There has been no major development as such."

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Meanwhile, Abeda said they are planning on protesting outside the police station, "Four days have passed and the accused continue to freely roam outside. Residents of our housing society have planned a protest outside the police station this week. We will do it on Tuesday if the cops have still not arrested any of the accused."

Also read: Mumbai: Medical student commits suicide after casteist slurs by seniors

'Payal is an escapist': (Translations of the chats submitted to cops)

Hema: Payal puts fake bp
Ankita: That's what
Bhakti: Payal isn't courteous enough to do something herself if she knows that one is unable to do the scan?
Hema: Is this how you'll teach your juniors?
Bhakti: That bechari has gone and sat in the usg
Ankita: Arre, she's a senior now
Hema: Don't even ask anyone about the fake hb (haemoglobin)
Ankita: We're juniors to this day...Bhakti, you know what happened yesterday? This one called for a fake bp, that too for a patient in labour
Hema: 7.7 hb has been made into 10
Ankita: Haan, ma'am should be told about this...
Bhakti: Snehal switched off her phone after being told about her work
Ankita: Let's tell ma'am about this tomorrow...they'd put incomplete orders even today...
Hema: As usual, Payal is an escapist. After reading this, she will run away tomorrow, just the way she did before
Ankita: Just adds fake rounds in her terrible handwriting
Bhakti: They haven't even given her any sort of orientation...she keeps getting handed work
Hema:..if the inj. FCM says 1 gm, she puts 500
Hema: Arre, do they have even the slightest of brains to know how much FCM has to be given...why are they giving HM...
Ankita: What is going to happen to LR under them
Hema: Arre, we've said multiple times that we should tell ma'am...but she runs away...don't you know this?

A look at some screenshots of the WhatsApp chats that are part of the police investigation.

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